I was baptized in the Methodist church, but was not really raised in the church.  When I started my own family, I became involved in the church, and since moving to De Pere, have been an active member of First United Presbyterian Church of De Pere.

I was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition and still hold that tradition in high regard. But during my undergraduate studies (while writing my honors thesis on quantum physics) I discovered Buddhism, especially early Mahayana and Theravada forms of Buddhism. Today, I focus on the earliest scriptures of the Buddhist tradition--the Pali Canon--both as a scholar and as a practitioner. I seek a "naturalistic" kind of religious experience that is consistent with modern science.

I taught theology for 17 years at Dallas Theological Seminary, a non-denominational, evangelical school that trains men and women for ministry. I was ordained at a non-denominational church in Dallas and have worked with many different mission organizations. I am pretty familiar with the Protestant landscape and would be happy to talk. My family and I are part of Green Bay Community Church in the Howard area (www.gbcommunitychurch.com).

As a Jewish historian of Muslim societies at a Catholic college, my life is a wonderful paradox, and I enjoy discussing religious ideas and history both inside and outside of class.  Judaism to me is a heritage and ethnicity as much as a faith tradition, and like many Americans I am somewhat eclectic in my spirituality.  Having grown up in a predominantly Catholic town in Massachusetts, and having lived years in the Islamic world, I am most interested in points of convergence: our common beliefs and aspirations, our mutual fears and stereotypes.  It is this convergence that gives me hope when the world seems to have gone off its tracks.  I am happy to meet with students of all backgrounds and orientations, especially if coffee is involved.